Bloomingdale wrestles with salt shortage

The up and down temperatures combined with a salt shortage have presented the Department of Public Works with challenges in recent weeks.

At the Feb. 4 Borough Council meeting, former Republican Councilwoman Linda Huntley, a Van Dam Avenue resident, complained that the roads were not in optimum condition after recent snowfalls.

Mayor Jonathan Dunleavy said there was no difference in the amount of material tonnage used to combat icing conditions and no difference in the Department of Public Works crew, which does the plowing, salting, and sanding. What has been different this year, however, is the substantial fluctuation in temperatures, he said.

Dunleavy said there has been an unusual weather pattern of snow, warmer temperatures that cause melting, followed by frigid temperatures that freeze surfaces. The temperatures have dipped so low that salt is sometimes ineffective, he said.

Daytime storms are particularly challenging, Dunleavy said, because cars drive on the snow and the snow gets compacted. The packed-down snow is not as easily plowed and ends up turning to slush when temperatures rise, he said.

Although Dunleavy predicted at the Feb. 4 meeting that the borough would fare OK with the forecasted Feb. 5 snow, he warned that the region was faced with an extreme salt shortage. Dunleavy said Fitzpatrick Paving was kind enough to lend the borough three large trucks to pick up salt at the Port of Newark, but the trucks were turned away. The borough had ordered 300 tons of salt on Jan. 21 and had not taken delivery of it as of the Feb. 4 council meeting.

On Friday, Dunleavy said the borough posted a message on the municipal website and used the Reverse 911 system to advise residents of the salt shortage and to exercise caution when driving. Dunleavy said the borough finally was able to take receipt of a salt load on Friday.